In Dakar, at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, Ukrainian race walker Vitalii Tarasiuk clinched the silver medal in the 5000-meter event. With a result of 20 minutes and 55.54 seconds in the boys' final, the 16-year-old athlete secured second place and Ukraine’s first athletics medal at these Games. For the national race walking team, this also marks a return to the Youth Olympic podium after a sixteen-year hiatus.
A Silver Sixteen Years in the Making
The last time a Ukrainian representative stood on the podium in race walking was at the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, when Ihor Liashchenko won gold in the 10,000-meter race. Since then, there had been no medals in this discipline, making Tarasiuk’s silver in Senegal a historic comeback for Ukraine on the Olympic stage. The athlete wore the national team kit labeled "UKRAINE" with his name "TARASIUK" on his bib, carrying the national flag over his shoulders, turning the result into both a personal triumph and a symbolic moment for Ukrainian athletics.
The Final by the Numbers
The final was won by Spaniard Gabriel González, who finished with a time of 20:41.36. Tarasiuk followed him, trailing by 14 seconds to claim second place with a time of 20:55.54. Japanese athlete Futo Abe crossed the finish line third with 21:09.22. The gap between first and second place was less than fifteen seconds, reflecting the intense competition characteristic of the distance and highlighting the Ukrainian’s competitiveness against a world-class youth field.
The Road to the Podium
Vitalii Tarasiuk, born on November 30, 2009, represents the Starokostiantyniv Youth Sports School and is coached by Honored Coach of Ukraine Volodymyr Honiak. He is widely considered one of the country's most promising young race walkers, consistently breaking national records in the U16 and U18 age categories and securing over twenty victories in national youth and junior competitions. In 2025, he reached an international podium by taking bronze at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje (20:55.71), and in July 2026, he set a new national U18 record in the 5000m at the Ukrainian Junior Championships in Lviv with a time of 20:41.12.
Team Ukraine’s Fourth Medal
Tarasiuk’s silver marks the fourth medal for the Ukrainian team at the Dakar Games. The current medal count stands at one gold, two silvers, and one bronze. The first Ukrainian champion of these Games was judoka Khazar Heidarov, while Nikita Kuzmenko earned a bronze in beach wrestling, and fencer Alina Dmytruk secured another silver. This makes athletics the latest discipline to add to Ukraine's medal tally at the Games.
What Comes Next
The 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal continue until November 13, with the final days of competition approaching. For Tarasiuk, the Dakar silver is a logical step in his development: the combination of his young age, updated national records, and stable international performance makes him one of the key prospects for future senior international race walking events.
